Upon hearing the word "virtuous wife," Guan Yi's beautiful eyes flickered, her face slightly flushed, but she accepted it generously. Chen Xu thought for a moment and said, "Teacher has completed a research project. In my opinion, this project can definitely make a lot of money, but the problem is... the initial investment is too large, and it will hinder the interests of many people. At least, this technology in mainland China is definitely not something we can monopolize and make money from ourselves."
Guan Yi caught a key word... "monopoly".
That's right, so why are SMMH products so profitable and popular right now?
It's because of the monopoly!
Because SMMH's technology is unmatched! They bring out cutting-edge technology, and their advantage in this area is unimaginable. Others cannot imitate it and can only obediently buy it!
Just like "Babel Translator," why is this software so expensive in Europe and America and hasn't been discounted? The reason is this... If you don't use "Babel Translator," then you'll have to learn foreign languages through interpretation yourself, because there's simply nothing in the world that can compare and offer consumers a better choice. Furthermore, SMMH's superior technology makes it impossible to crack.
Then you'll just have to obediently pay up!
What makes the most money? Monopolies make the most money!
Western countries did protest, and they even put pressure on Company S through their antitrust laws... but to no avail, because everyone knows that such a profitable business cannot be given up, and no one has the right to demand that Company S disclose the source code of "The Translator of Babel".
When a product becomes the only one on the market, Western governments can only regulate the market economy through antitrust laws, but ultimately cannot take it to court.
Because such a consequence would cause the product to disappear completely from the market... Americans can't even handle Microsoft, let alone "Babel Translator," the world's only ultimate translation software.
However, within China...
Guan Yi was naturally aware of the situation in China.
China also has an anti-monopoly law, but the problem is that several businesses vital to the nation's economy and generating huge tax revenues are state-owned enterprises, meaning they are controlled by the state. In a sense, the state is a monopoly... so what can we expect from the anti-monopoly law?
For example, China's highways, railways, and information industries, such as China Telecom, China Netcom, China Mobile, China Unicom, etc...
This is, in fact, a monopoly, a blatant monopoly.
Guan Yi's mind worked quickly. She gleaned an implication from Chen Xu's words... SMMH's invention seemed to involve an industry that was already monopolized domestically. She thought for a moment and said, "Could it be related to information and communication?"
Chen Xu sighed, saying that his woman was indeed intelligent, and said, "That's right. This invention can hardly be called an invention. It's just an improvement on a technology that previous people couldn't perfect... a portable video phone."
"A video phone?!" Guan Yi's face showed a slight surprise, not because the technology was too advanced, but because... it was too common!
Well, video phones already exist, but they are not yet advanced enough, and they are expensive and have low practical value.
Like satellite phones, video phones are essentially a waste of money… The EU invested so much in satellite phones, only to lose a fortune in the end. Because satellite phones are too expensive, the average person simply can't afford them.
Simply put, phone bills are too expensive!
The same applies to videophones. As early as the mid-20th century, it was proposed that telephone lines could transmit not only sound signals but also images. However, after decades of research, for various reasons, videophones have still not achieved widespread adoption.
It wasn't until 1996, after the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) published the PSTN multimedia videophone international standard ITU-IH 324, that the videophone market gradually began to improve and became popular abroad. However, it still did not take off in China and was only used by some groups, organizations, and enterprises.
The most important issue is the encoding/decoding chip!
It's important to understand that telephone lines have extremely low transmission capacity, meaning their bandwidth is too narrow. A typical telephone line has a transmission rate of only 33.6 KB per second, which is far from sufficient for the demands of audio and video. Therefore, codec chips must first be standardized; otherwise, it's like talking to a brick wall. Then there's the issue of the chip's functionality.
But to be honest, this kind of video phone is not a particularly rare invention, and Guan Yi doesn't understand why Chen Xu would bring it up so seriously.
"Heh, you didn't hear me clearly. I said... portable." Chen Xu took out his phone, gestured, and laughed, "The teacher's research, once widespread, will completely eliminate ordinary telephones. Because phones and telephones without video image transmission will not meet users' needs. But according to the standards set by the teacher, any video phone in the future will be able to transmit one's voice and image anytime, anywhere, just as conveniently as everyone uses a mobile phone now, and without any increase in call charges. Portable, that refers to mobile phones."
Guan Yi was a little surprised when she heard this. She thought of many scenes from futuristic science fiction movies, where you could clearly see everything on the other side of the signal just by using your mobile phone? Of course, the premise is that you need a camera.
"That's right, the teacher's design includes a watch-style communicator. Two people using this communicator can see each other clearly. Thanks to the teacher's technological innovation, even the commonly used mobile phone radio waves are now sufficient to carry audio and dynamic images of more than 180 frames per second."
"180 frames per second?!" Guan Yi, being a computer science student, naturally knew this concept.
A frame is a unit of measurement for data transmission. As we all know, video is essentially a moving image, so 180 frames means 180 images flash by in one second!
The human retina exhibits visual persistence, meaning that even after the image of a rapidly moving object disappears, the eye retains the image for about 0.1-0.4 seconds. This visual persistence is what led to the invention of film and the development of cinema.
So, a higher frame rate means more still images per second, resulting in smoother motion. 180 frames per second is comparable to some blockbuster movies, meaning the video looks completely smooth... or as commonly known, without any stuttering.
180 frames per second (fps) is the maximum. Nowadays, the mainstream configuration of many computer webcams is only 60 fps, and 120 fps is already the highest!
But if it can transmit images of more than 180 frames using only ordinary radio waves... then this thing is enough to live stream movies...
"This thing should be very profitable, and the market is gradually maturing. Entering the videophone market with a strong stance at this time should be very lucrative." Guan Yi understood what Chen Xu meant. Unlike decades ago, videophones have now reached a stable stage... There are corresponding market rules, a certain user base, and communication equipment is becoming increasingly sophisticated. If a strong technological innovation emerges now, then it might indeed be just as Chen Xu and that SMMH predicted—very promising!
Of course, Guan Yi knew this idea was huge, and it couldn't be sold like "The Translator of Babel." It involved many things... internet providers, mobile phone manufacturers, and so on, as well as user habits. But indeed, it should be a very profitable business.
But just then, there was a knock on the door, and an anxious voice said from outside, "Miss, something's happened at the casino, you...you should go down and take a look!"
Chapter 349 Gambling Techniques
VIP lounge.
If the casino downstairs is decorated in a way that can be described as opulent, then the VIP rooms upstairs can certainly be called luxurious.
The entire floor, spanning several thousand square meters, is covered with luxurious, handmade Persian wool carpets. Guan Yi mentioned that each square meter of these carpets costs several hundred US dollars. Behind the surrounding transparent glass walls are world-class wines—and these aren't just for display; if a guest takes a liking to a particular wine, the staff will immediately bring it out on the spot, free of charge.
After Guan Yi explained it to Chen Xu, Chen Xu understood.
There's only one condition for getting into the VIP lounge: money! Lots and lots of money!
A single game of cards here can cost at least hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, with the casino taking a cut. Therefore, compared to that, a bottle of wine costing tens of thousands of dollars is practically worthless. In this casino, the VIP rooms alone can generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue overnight during peak season!
After hearing this, Chen Xu even wanted to open a casino!
That's a lot of money!
As Guan Yi and Chen Xu walked, they listened to the supervisor explain the situation.
The problem stemmed from that mad dog.
This mad dog used to hang out in Las Vegas and frequent casinos, but no one had ever heard of him being a gambling expert! He did spend a lot of money in casinos, but today, just now, in the VIP room with a few other guests, this mad dog won 27 rounds in a row, winning tens of millions of dollars.
If this were just an ordinary betting game, it would be fine. Not to mention tens of millions, the casino has had betting games of hundreds of millions of dollars. But that mad dog has won so many times that the other customers are unwilling to gamble with him anymore. This guy actually wants to challenge the best players in the casino!
This is actually one of the rules of the casino.
Because some customers want to play high-stakes games, which are not affordable for the average person, casinos usually make arrangements. However, if it is during the off-season and no one makes arrangements, then the casino's expert will personally play a few rounds with them.
Not to mention Las Vegas, any casino will have expert gamblers in charge.
Casinos are businesses that operate openly, so it's inevitable that competitors will try to cause trouble. Of course, in places like Las Vegas, casinos generally don't easily make enemies. Firstly, these casinos have incredibly powerful backers. Secondly, if you challenge someone, you'll have to wait for them to retaliate. This back-and-forth can easily escalate into a fight, and the outcome could become uncontrollable.
However, when a customer can't find a gambling partner, the casino will naturally send out experts to play a few rounds with them... In a way, these gambling experts are similar to the women in the casino; they always have to come out and keep the customers company.
In a casino this big, the skill level of the gamblers is naturally quite high. Of course, almost every casino in Las Vegas has very famous top gamblers, and they generally won't bring out the casino's most skilled player for a single customer. That would clearly make the customer feel like the casino is cheating them.
However, the person now sitting in the VIP room gambling with Mad Dog is the strongest person in the casino, apart from the top few well-known experts!
Even Cabin doesn't seem to be able to beat this mad dog!
"How is this possible?" Guan Yi was shocked. She knew Cabin's level very well. Although he couldn't compare to the top players, he was at least a world-renowned first-class expert. In the eyes of ordinary people, he was definitely a gambling god. Ordinary people were not qualified to fight against him. How could he not beat that mad dog?
Did that mad dog take aphrodisiacs?
"Was that mad dog really that lucky today?"
"No, it wasn't luck." The supervisor said with a wry smile, "To be honest, he did have a pretty good run of luck today, but that's all. And we've analyzed how he won; he... won through skill!"
"What?" Guan Yi was truly surprised now.
“It’s all about skill,” the manager said with a bitter expression. “I don’t know why, but this guy’s gambling skills have improved dramatically. Our casino, and I even brought in top experts from several other casinos, to analyze it together. The result is that, apart from his mental fortitude being lacking and making him prone to giving away his moves, his card counting and memorization skills have reached the world’s top level!”
"How is this possible?!"
Guan Yi's expression was priceless. In fact, if you knew that a pig you knew had suddenly become very shrewd, your expression would be priceless too.
After hearing Guan Yi recount several rumors about this mad dog, Chen Xu thought to himself: What a talent!
Calling this guy a mad dog isn't an exaggeration, to be honest. Look at what he's done in North America! Chen Xu thinks if this were his own child, he'd just slap him to death to save him from making a fool of himself!
Mad Dog's rise to fame was three years ago, when he was just a 16-year-old kid who hadn't been in Las Vegas for long. Then, at a high-society party, he publicly provoked the son of an American tycoon for a socialite, and then, like a scoundrel, pulled off a stunning "monkey stealing a peach" move in front of countless celebrities!
If that wasn't enough, then the incident where this guy overdosed on drugs and drove a truck into a police station, resulting in the deaths of two police officers, cemented his nickname "Mad Dog."
This is an incredibly impulsive guy who acts without thinking and is extremely audacious!
Las Vegas celebrities say that if it weren't for the Dong family's support, he would have been shot dead long ago in Las Vegas, the city of sin, and left to rot on the roadside like a stray dog!
If someone like that were to master gambling skills, which require the most brainpower, it would be no different from a pig speaking with a perfect London accent and saying, "May I help you?"
But that's the reality now.
Cabbeen is considered a top-tier expert in the casino, second only to the very best in the world. If even he can't beat this mad dog, then the casino's only option left is to send out their ultimate, top-tier expert. But if word gets out that the casino is using such a world-class expert to bully its customers, it will severely damage the casino's reputation.
But casinos have their own rules. Although they sound nice on the surface, telling everyone that they can come in and gamble, and that if you're good enough, you can make money, the problem is that casinos aren't free ATMs. If a gambling master outmaneuveres all the other masters in the casino, then the casino becomes like an ATM for him; he can take as much money as he wants.
The question is, is that even possible?
Casinos open to do business and make money; who would be willing to do a business that loses money like this?
So, in general, when this happens, the casino will give the expert a sum of money to get rid of him. Of course, the amount of this money will not be small, and the casino will definitely not let the other party suffer a loss.
If that expert knows what's good for him, he'll take the money and leave, never to come to this casino again. But if he doesn't, then sorry... we've done our duty with etiquette, and if you continue to be so ungrateful, do you really think Las Vegas's name, "Sin City," is just for show?
However, such a top expert would naturally not make a move easily, nor could he make a move easily.
Otherwise, if word gets out, it will damage the casino's reputation... saying that the casino sent such a world-class expert to prevent its customers from winning money. It's like two kids playing ping-pong; one kid can't beat his opponent, so he calls his dad—and it turns out his dad is Kong Linghui.
So what's putting the supervisor in a difficult position right now is that the current situation has created a dilemma.
Sending out top fighters will inevitably attract criticism. The purpose of having such top fighters in the casino is to prevent others from causing trouble, not to deal with ordinary customers. But if the top fighters aren't sent out, this mad dog will win more and more—judging by his appearance, he doesn't care about the casino's rules. Besides, given his status, the casino can't use force against him.
No wonder the manager called out Guan Yi, the successor. Usually, a few managers in the casino can handle most situations. They are very experienced in dealing with unexpected events. So, if a problem is reported, it's usually not a sudden, difficult-to-solve incident, but rather someone you can't afford to offend.
This mad dog is someone the managers of this casino can't afford to offend right now.
Guan Yi thought for a moment and asked, "How much has Cabbeen lost?"
After asking a few questions over the miniature walkie-talkie, a manager said, "They've already lost thirteen million dollars. The problem now is that that mad dog is betting bigger and bigger, as if he's desperately trying to make money because he can't afford to lose. Carbin is often too afraid to continue betting. Miss, I suggest we send Perecassoon out."
Perecassonne is one of the top players in the casino, the previous WSOP (World Series of Poker) champion, and the winner of the All North American Stud Poker Championship.
But to have such a true gambling god make things difficult for a mad dog known throughout North American high society—if word got out, it would be like Kong Linghui bullying an elementary school student playing ping-pong…
"Do we really have to send Perecassonne to fight?" Guan Yi hesitated. In fact, she knew very well these top-notch experts who were in charge of the competition.
These people don't receive a fixed salary like other top players. Given Perecassoon's status, he's practically a legend in the gambling world. Hiring them requires a hefty sum, and unlike other top players who come to the casino every day, they only appear in emergencies—this isn't just about money, but also about personal connections.
For a butler, money is nothing, but favors are something that can only be used once in a while. So, if it's not necessary to use these top experts, then it's best to avoid it.
“If it’s just about mental arithmetic and memory, I think I might be able to handle him.” Seeing Guan Yi’s troubled expression, Chen Xu suddenly said, “Have you forgotten about Jimmy last time? When it comes to memory and mental arithmetic, who can beat me?”